Chapter 3: Blood in the Moonlight
The forest surrounding the Dawnriver Kingdom was a realm of eternal shadows, its gnarled trees clawing at the moonlit sky. Lin Xuan moved through the underbrush, his sixteen-year-old frame deceptively frail, his eyes tinged with a crimson glint. At the 1st Layer of Qi Gathering, his cultivation was modest, but his cunning—forged as Mo Tianyin—made him deadly.
He sought herbs to bolster his cultivation, but his instincts screamed of danger. The Zhi Clan, a 3rd-rate rival, hunted Liu Yue, driven by greed for the Scriptures of Severed Unity. Lin Xuan's heart—tainted by the boy's emotions—burned with rage. He found the culprits in a moonlit clearing: three Zhi Clan disciples harassing a girl with auburn hair.
"Run, little rabbit. Liu Yue's next—our young master will break her."
Lin Xuan's blood boiled. He stepped into the clearing, his presence chilling the air. "You talk too much." He lunged, Tooth Dagger manifesting jagged bio-energy blades from his knuckles. His fist tore through the first disciple's chest. The others roared, their qi erupting in fire and wind. Lin Xuan countered with Celestial Glide, his body a blur. His Iron Body Art mitigated a grazing blow, and he struck, shattering a disciple's ribs.
His Demonic Devouring Art drained the fallen disciple's qi, pushing Lin Xuan to the 2nd Layer of Qi Gathering. The third disciple's wind qi blade slashed, but Lin Xuan wove through it, his Tooth Dagger tearing the man's shoulder. The leader summoned a fiery tiger claw. Lin Xuan gritted his teeth, but Energy Devour siphoned the leader's qi, weakening the attack. A final Tooth Dagger strike pierced the leader's heart.
"Liu Yue… won't escape…" the leader gasped.
Lin Xuan crouched, eyes cold. "You shouldn't have said her name." He devoured the qi, stabilizing his cultivation. The auburn-haired girl stared, awestruck. "Who are you?"
"No one you need to know," he said, vanishing into the woods. He gathered Spirit Bone Grass and Moonshade Root, returning to the inn to find a new threat. Black Talon, a 6th Layer Qi Transformation assassin, was hunting Liu Yue. Lin Xuan sensed his deathly qi, a cold, focused presence. He had to lead the assassin away to the Mist Forest to protect her family.